Page 442 - THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

and Tom superintended. He could out-superintend any
boy I ever see. He knowed how to do everything.
Our hole was pretty big, but it warn’t big enough to
get the grindstone through; but Jim he took the pick and

soon made it big enough. Then Tom marked out them
things on it with the nail, and set Jim to work on them,
with the nail for a chisel and an iron bolt from the rubbage
in the lean-to for a hammer, and told him to work till the
rest of his candle quit on him, and then he could go to
bed, and hide the grindstone under his straw tick and sleep
on it. Then we helped him fix his chain back on the bed-
leg, and was ready for bed ourselves. But Tom thought of
something, and says:
‘You got any spiders in here, Jim?’
‘No, sah, thanks to goodness I hain’t, Mars Tom.’
‘All right, we’ll get you some.’
‘But bless you, honey, I doan’ WANT none. I’s afeard
un um. I jis’ ‘s soon have rattlesnakes aroun’.’
Tom thought a minute or two, and says:
‘It’s a good idea. And I reckon it’s been done. It
MUST a been done; it stands to reason. Yes, it’s a prime
good idea. Where could you keep it?’
‘Keep what, Mars Tom?’
‘Why, a rattlesnake.’

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